One of the country’s largest historical events is set to return to Mansfield this weekend with the 45th annual Ohio Civil War and World War I and II Show, held at the Richland County Fairgrounds.

On May 6-7, 450 exhibitors from 38 states will participate in the event, with more than 750 tables featuring military memorabilia from 1775 to 1945 set up for buying and selling opportunities. The show will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets can be purchased at the gate. Children under 12 years old are admitted free when accompanied by an adult.

In conjunction with the military show, the 30th annual Artillery Show will feature full-size cannons, limbers, caissons and mortars. Patrons can view field guns, equipment, and displays that relate to America’s wars from 1775 through 1945 and will also have the opportunity to see Civil War United States and Confederate cannon firing demonstrations. The demonstrations will be held at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday and at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.

There will also be a demonstration from the 36th U.S. Infantry Division and 100th Jäger German Unit on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

Other events include a 1776 Revolutionary War living history encampment, which will feature performing drills, musket firing, colonial period camp cooking, and also a display of various period military attire and other demonstrations, as well as a World War II medical air evacuation squadron presenting a historical perspective of how the units worked in such difficult and dangerous conditions.

Civil War and World War II encampments will also allow patrons to tour and experience how soldiers lived and survived in their camps, and the World War II U.S. 36th Infantry Division will be answering questions from the public.

Musical performances will be given by the Camp Chase Fife and Drum on Saturday and the 73rd OVI Regiment Band on Sunday.

Greg Williams, who has been a Delaware resident since 1975, co-manages the event along with his sister, Teresa Drushel, and brother, Wayne Williams. The siblings took over management of the event following the passing of their father, who started the show 46 years ago at the armory in Ashland, Ohio. Greg Williams said his father began collecting Civil War memorabilia and artifacts in 1952 after learning of his great-grandfather’s time serving in the 208th Pennsylvania Regiment in the war, ultimately leading to the idea for the show.

“If you look at Civil War shows, we are probably what people say is the top show around,” Greg Williams told The Gazette. “We get people coming from all of the states. We have a guy coming from Hawaii, several guys from California, and just about every state you can think of. Most of the Civil War shows are held in the east near the battlefields. … But Ohio was involved in the war and gave the second largest amount of troops to the war … so dad said, ‘Well, maybe we’ll start something here.’”

The show began with just 60 tables and has since grown to include 800-900 tables with the addition of the various outside events and encampments. With the addition of World War II-era shows and memorabilia in the last five years, Williams said the event has grown even larger. Asked if he ever thought the event would grow to its current size and scope, Williams stated, simply, “No.”

“When we moved it to Mansfield, it grew to not even this size (today), and dad, he was just in awe of it,” Williams said. “And then we opened it up to World War II and grew some more, and it’s still growing today. … It’s like a walk back into history.”

While the show presents a rare opportunity for collectors to add to their personal collections, Williams said educating attendees about this country’s history is equally important. “That’s what we like to do, to preserve history,” Williams stated.

For more information on the show, including a full lineup of the various events, visit the event website at www.ohiocivilwarshow.com.

Reach Dillon Davis at 740-413-0904. Follow him on Twitter @DillonDavis56.